The 1st Army Tank Brigade was a formation of the British Army during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
. A ''Tank'' Brigade was intended to support the Infantry and was mostly equipped with slow moving
Infantry tanks, unlike an Armoured Brigade, which was equipped with faster
cruiser tanks and later its own
motorised infantry
Motorized infantry is infantry that is transported by trucks or other motor vehicles. It is distinguished from mechanized infantry, which is carried in armoured personnel carriers or infantry fighting vehicles, and from light infantry, whic ...
. Initially using infantry nomenclature for its smaller units, ''company '' and ''section'' and having 175 light and infantry tanks, it later adopted cavalry nomenclature of ''squadron'' and ''troop'' and later in the War grew to 240 tanks.
History
The 1st Army Tank Brigade took part in the
Battle of France, serving as part of the
British Expeditionary Force. It fought against the Germans in Belgium and Northern France, providing the armour for the counter-attack at the
Battle of Arras and covered the Allied
retreat to Dunkirk
The Battle of Dunkirk (french: Bataille de Dunkerque, link=no) was fought around the French port of Dunkirk (Dunkerque) during the Second World War, between the Allies and Nazi Germany. As the Allies were losing the Battle of France on the ...
. It lost all of its equipment on the beaches following the
evacuation.
The reformed 1st Army Tank Brigade was transferred to North Africa, equipped with
Valentine infantry tanks. The brigade took part in
Operation Crusader, as part of the
XIII Corps. Attached to the
2nd South African Division, it took part in the conquest of
Bardia
Bardia, also El Burdi or Barydiyah ( ar, البردية, lit=, translit=al-Bardiyya or ) is a Mediterranean seaport in the Butnan District of eastern Libya, located near the border with Egypt. It is also occasionally called ''Bórdi Slemán''.
...
(December 1941 – January 1942).
Order of battle
From
*
4th Royal Tank Regiment (September 1939 – December 1940)
*
7th Royal Tank Regiment (September 1939 – December 1940)
*
8th Royal Tank Regiment
The 8th Royal Tank Regiment (8 RTR) was an armoured regiment of the British Army until 1960. It was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps. It originally saw action as H Battalion, Tank Corps in 1917.
In the Nort ...
(September 1939 – September 1942) did not go to France
*
44th Royal Tank Regiment (December 1940 – May 1943)
*
49th Royal Tank Regiment (December 1940 – October 1944)
*
42nd Royal Tank Regiment (April 1941 – November 1944)
*
11th Royal Tank Regiment (October 1942 – October 1944)
Battle honours
*
Tobruk
Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near ...
1941
*
Gazala
Gazala, or ʿAyn al-Ġazāla ( ), is a small Libyan village near the coast in the northeastern portion of the country. It is located west of Tobruk.
History
In the late 1930s (during the Italian occupation of Libya), the village was the site of ...
* Defence of Alamein Line
*
El Alamein[Joslen p. 196]
See also
*
British Armoured formations of World War II
During the Second World War the British Army deployed armoured divisions and independent armoured and tank brigades.
Background
During the interwar period, the British Army examined the lessons learnt from the First World War; and a need was seen ...
*
British Army Order of Battle (September 1939)
*
List of British brigades of the Second World War
This is a list of British Brigades in the Second World War. It is intended as a central place to access resources about formations of brigade size that served in the British Army during the Second World War
World War II or the Sec ...
References
Bibliography
*
External links
Army Tank Brigade
1 Army Tank
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